Beginner's Guide To Outdoor Exercise | Better Homes and Gardens

When it comes to managing diabetes, staying active works wonders. It improves your insulin sensitivity, and in just 15 minutes it can have a positive impact on your blood glucose levels. Fortunately, you don’t have to buy an expensive gym membership to enjoy these benefits. Councils around Australia have been installing free outdoor gyms to help you get active and boost your wellbeing without hurting your hip pocket. These open-air gyms have similar equipment to what you’d find in a commercial gym, and are designed so you don’t need to modify any settings, which makes them suitable for people of all fitness levels. As a bonus, spending time in nature or a green space has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which helps you feel more relaxed and can play an important role in improving insulin sensitivity.

HOW TO GET STARTED:
● New to training Rest assured you don’t have to become a gym junkie to do resistance training. As little as 15 minutes nonstop exercise at an outdoor gym is enough to elicit excellent results, so try it out.
● Seek expert advice If you have previously diagnosed conditions that might stop you from taking part in strenuous physical activity, speak to your GP before starting a program. They can refer you to an accredited exercise physiologist who can help you develop a safe program. You can also ask them to supervise a session to make sure you’re moving safely.
● Look for the diagram Most outdoor gyms have easy-to-follow instructions. Others allow you to scan a QR code with your smart phone which sends a demonstration video with the exercises to your device.
● Listen to your body If you have a joint or muscle that hurts, don’t keep going just because the exercise says so. There’s a difference between safely pushing through a healthy pain (like muscle burn) and pushing through an unsafe pain (like a sharp, shooting pain or aching joint). Know your limits and when in doubt, leave it out!
● Slip, slop, slap and sip When exercising outdoors always put on sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses, and stay hydrated.

GIVE IT A GO!
Work your way through these three circuit variations (see below). They should each take between 15 and 45 minutes depending on your level of fitness. Warm up then set your timer for 15, 30 or 45 minutes depending on your fitness level. Complete 10-15 reps of a pushing movement, pulling movement, leg movement and core movement, one after the other without a rest. Do the four circuit exercises in a row, rest, then repeat the cycle until the clock runs out. See how many rounds you can complete in the allocated time, then cool down and stretch.

1. BEGINNERS

Warm up: 5-10 minutes brisk walk and stretch